US20040040874A1

US20040040874A1 - Supplementary accessory case for tool chest

Info

Publication number: US20040040874A1
Application number: US10/233,576
Authority: US
Inventors: Li Chen Chen
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2002-09-04
Filing date: 2002-09-04
Publication date: 2004-03-04

Abstract

A supplementary accessory case for tool chest mainly includes two separated boxes and two parallel connecting members separately extended between two longitudinal sides of the two boxes with an opening defined among them. Each of the two boxes is provided at a transverse outer edge with a projected ear, to which a curved catch hook is rotatably connected. When the supplementary accessory case is positioned on a top of the tool chest, the opening defined by the boxes and the connecting members allows a handle of the tool chest to expose therefrom for holding, and the catch hooks can be turned downward about the projected ears to engage with retaining blocks correspondingly provided on the tool chest and thereby detachably lock the supplementary accessory case to the top of the tool chest. Extra tools and accessories may be directly accessed without the need of opening the tool chest.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a supplementary accessory case for tool chest, and more particularly to an accessory case that may be detachably attached to a top of a tool chest for conveniently holding small tools and accessories to increase the value of the tool chest.

A tool chest is an important and necessary item for general servicemen or maintenance men and workers to perform their work efficiently. Various kinds of tools and accessories are held in separated compartments fixedly formed in the tool chest. It is very possible some extra small tools and accessories are needed to perform some works and there is not sufficient space in the tool chest to hold them. Therefore, these extra tools and accessories frequently confuse the workers.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A primary object of the present invention is to provide a supplementary accessory case for detachably attached to a top of a tool chest, so that extra small tools and accessories could be conveniently held in the supplementary accessory case and accessed without the need of opening the tool chest.

To achieve the above and other objects, the supplementary accessory case of the present invention mainly includes two separated boxes and two parallel connecting members separately extended between two longitudinal outer sides of the two boxes with an opening defined among them. Each of the two boxes is provided at a transverse outer edge with a projected ear, to which a curved catch hook is rotatably connected. When the supplementary accessory case is positioned on a top of the tool chest, the opening defined by the boxes and the connecting members allows a handle of the tool chest to expose therefrom for holding, and the catch hooks can be turned downward about the projected ears to engage with retaining blocks correspondingly provided on the tool chest and thereby detachably lock the supplementary accessory case to the top of the tool chest.

The curved catch hook includes two symmetrical lugs spaced at an inner edge thereof. The lugs are provided with centered through holes, with which two ends of a fixing pin extended through a hollow shaft are engaged. The hollow shaft includes two arms perpendicularly extended from two-ends of the shaft, and a crossbar connected to and extended between free ends of the two arms. The crossbar is adapted to tightly but rotatably fit in a retaining groove on the projected ear provided on the transverse outer edge of each box, so that the catch hook is connected to the ear by engaging the crossbar with the retaining groove, and may be swung about the crossbar relative to the projected ear.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The structure and the technical means adopted by the present invention to achieve the above and other objects can be best understood by referring to the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments and the accompanying drawings, wherein [0006]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a supplementary accessory case for tool chest according to the present invention; [0007]
FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a catch hook for connecting the supplementary accessory case of the present invention to a tool chest; [0008]
FIG. 3 shows the connection of the supplementary accessory case of the present invention to the tool chest; and [0009]
FIG. 4 is an assembled side view showing the supplementary accessory case of the present invention has been connected to the tool chest.[0010]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Please refer to FIG. 1 that is a perspective view of a [0011] supplementary accessory case 100 according to the present invention. As shown, the supplementary accessory case 100 mainly includes two separated boxes 1 located at two outer ends thereof, and two parallel connecting members 2 separately extended between two longitudinal sides of the two boxes 1, so as to connect the two boxes 1 to each other to provide an integral supplementary accessory case 100. Each of the boxes 1 is provided at a transverse outer end with a projected ear 11 (see FIG. 2), on which a retaining groove 111 is provided for a catch hook 3 to rotatably connect thereto.
FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the [0012] catch hook 3. As shown, the catch hook 3 includes a curved body having two symmetrical lugs 31 spaced at an inner edge thereof. The lugs 31 are provided with centered through holes 311, with which two ends of a fixing pin 33 extended through a hollow shaft 32 are engaged. The hollow shaft 32 includes two arms 34 perpendicularly extended from two ends of the shaft 32, and a crossbar 35 connected to and extended between free ends of the two arms 34. The crossbar 35 is adapted to tightly but rotatably fit in the retaining groove 111 on the projected ear 11 provided on the transverse outer edge of each box 1, so that the catch hook 3 is connected to the ear 11 by engaging the crossbar 35 with the retaining groove 111, and maybe swung about the crossbar 35 relative to the projected ear 11.
Please refer to FIGS. 3 and 4. The [0013] supplementary accessory case 100 is designed for positioning on a top of a tool chest 4. For this purpose, the tool chest 4 is provided at two upper transverse edges with two retaining blocks 41 for engaging with the catch hooks 3 when the latter are turned downward. By pushing the downward turned catch hooks 3 inward, the catch hooks 3 are adapted to tightly engage with the retaining blocks 41 to lock the supplementary accessory case 100 to the top of the tool chest 4. Small-size tools and/or accessories and parts may be directly positioned in the supplementary accessory case 100 instead of an additional tool chest 4.
Since the [0014] supplementary accessory case 100 includes two separated boxes 1 connected to each other via the connecting members 2, an opening is defined among the two boxes 1 and the two connecting members 2 to allow a handle 42 on the top of the tool chest 4 to expose from the opening when the supplementary accessory case 100 is locked to the top of the tool chest 4. That is, the tool chest 4 may still be conveniently carried at the handle 42 even the supplementary accessory case 100 is locked to the top thereof. The supplementary accessory case 100 may be moved along with the tool chest 4 to hold extra tools and accessories and parts. The supplementary accessory case 100 not only enables the tool chest 4 to have an increased capacity, but also enables convenient access of the extra tools and accessories and parts without the need of opening the tool chest 4, allowing user to work in more efficient manner.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A supplementary accessory case for tool chest, said tool chest including a handle on a top thereof and two projected retaining blocks at two upper transverse edges thereof, comprising two separated boxes, and two parallel connecting members separately extended between two longitudinal sides of said two boxes; said two boxes and said two connecting member together defining an opening among them; each of said two boxes being provided at a transverse outer edge with a projected ear on which a retaining groove is provided for a catch hook to rotatably connected thereto; said catch hook being a curved body having two symmetrical lugs spaced at an inner edge thereof and a shaft connected to and extended between said two lugs, said shaft including two arms perpendicularly extended from two ends of said shaft to hold a crossbar therebetween, and said crossbar being adapted to tightly but rotatably fit in said retaining groove on said projected ear provided on said transverse outer edge of each said box; whereby when said supplementary accessory case is positioned on the top of said tool chest, said opening defined by said boxes and said connecting members allows said handle of said tool chest to expose therefrom for holding, and said catch hooks can be turned downward about said crossbars fitted in said retaining grooves of said ears to engage with said projected retaining blocks on said tool chest, and thereby detachably lock said supplementary accessory case to the top of said tool chest for holding extra tools and accessories or parts.